sleepingsquirrel

Hi, I was wondering if I put that Ovation cover on my M20B could it grow into it? How long would it take?

My favorite picture M20B vs TLS ,similar paint jobs until within 6 feet. I know that quality work nearing perfection cost more and there is a market for a $20,000 paint job. Blunt nose Mooney with NO modifications vs TLS Mooney, the best money can buy. I was joking with the TLS owner that I could easily mistakenly fly out in his airplane since they were painted so similarly. That is until he reminded me that his was burning 20 gph. If mine was in the foreground it would look bigger than the TLS and it would still burn 10 gph. I was happy to fly out in my fuel sipping bird with trade school paint . Wouldn't meet quality control for any commercial paint shop but airworthy none the less.

Moontown, is great but a little soft this time of year. Probably doesn't have the services of KMDQ. I fly my 150 there but not my Mooney. There is a Mooney on the field "C "Model and seems to have no problem.

If you are lookin to golf in North Alabama KMDQ should be the closest to Hampton Cove. Disclaimer: I don't have any thing to do with golf, I'm of the mind that "it is a good walk spoiled" Just had a retreat into winter temps this week You might want to look further south. http://www.rtjgolf.com/ http://www.mceaa.org/

The way I see it the 0-360 only requires 91 octane . It just hasn't been blessed in the Mooney airframe. Mogas is the first backup. I suppose when 100LL is outlawed only outlaws will be able to fly! BEWARE of going electric, the Government will require you to pump electricity back into the grid when you are tied down.

When I can no longer afford the price of av gas. I won't be able to afford electric or diesel conversion. So I can make the Mooney EXPERIMENTAL . Then experiment with, out of the box ,supply chain available fuel sources. When none of that works I can just sit inside and make engine noises and dream about flying. That is if I don't blow myself up with some WWII water injection anti-det system, N2O injection or an experiment with preheating diesel fuel gone awry . Then 95NL will come along,electronic ignition. By then I will be too old to care about flying. My Mooney will 100 years old . I will be 108.

Diesel will vaporize in a regular carburator if it is preheated properly. People were doing this during WWII for their automobiles because gasoline was rationed .

Hi, In 1969 I weighed a whopping 128 pounds. Some 40 years later I weigh 156 pounds. I'm sure our largness has something to do with the ease of obtaining the calories. None of us have to open ground with physical effort or forage through the rainforest canopy to obtain food. I've worked in healthcare for 27 years and can't for the life of me understand POWERED exercise equipment! Some of my retirement work will include putting generators on all exercise equipment to run the lights and TVs in the GYM! Maybe even sell some of it back to the electric company. I've become very aware of the physical size of some of my passengers. When placed in the context of a cockpit that could easily fit people of 1969 I have had to be very aware of weight and balance. I can no longer put 4 people in a 172 without concern.

Yea, one of the things the U.S. Government was originally tasked with, was national defense. Not messing about in all the other arenas which was not originally assigned to Government. Information about military hardware no matter how insignificant it may seem needs to be held close to the vest. A single specification which is of no consequence during normal operations could be the Achilles heel to be sold to the highest bidder, to be exploited by an enemy. Those specifications must be ours and ours alone to inform or mis-inform about. I would only be concerned if 10,000 Chinese attacked in a Cirrus' or Cessna 162s. It would obviously be a suicide mission.

Quote: Bnicolette I guess the real confusing part is that the instrument errects right away after start up, but within 15 minutes starts to act erratic? Drifting like a gyro compass? not tumbled?

It could be spinning up and working with little or no pitch and roll input , but not fast enough to overcome the precession caused by bearing friction over a priod of time. Like having to reset a working gyro compass over a long period of time. Does it have a caging mechanism? Like the old days? Probably not getting enough vacuum to spin up to proper speed. Possibly the bearings are needing service, but I would leave that for last (not likely since this is the second instrument with the same symptom). Remember that VACUUM MAY LOOK GOOD ON A GAGE (dead head) BUT IT MUST ALSO HAVE THE PROPER FLOW RATE AT THAT VACUUM READING.

Hi , I just took a look at your photos and I know what the problem is . It's not your fault as Thinwing suggests. You got a three bladed propeller!

I know people work hard to develop a product and grow a company. Hopefully to make their fortune, if not, sell it before shirt losing time. However, everything I read about a Cirrus lately has not been like it's America greatest contribution to aviation. I can't afford one nor do I have the desire to buy the C162 either.

HI, I had too much Cessna muscle memory when I got my M20 B. I know it's not a Bravo , but round out was one of my pre-conceived landing notions. What you described is how some of my first landings were not the best. I have found that the trick of looking down the runway to the end is helping me from pulling the nose higher than necessary. It's almost like a "glassy water" seaplane landing. Pitch,power, patience. She will land. I'm more consistant now that I'm not rushing the touchdown to a picked spot. Not that I can't do it but I'm learning a new plane as well ( my wife informed me just this week end that I can't land a Mooney). I'm sure that some of the more experienced Mooney pilots might remember their early experiences. I was just admiring a Bravo this week end ,but it may be too long to round out like a C172. It is a stately machine and looks as if it should be landed in a stately manner, so I can empathize with you.

Well, out of 17 gagilloin,billion Chinese people, if only .01% want to fly it's good for business!

Quote: Jeff_S Somehow with trying to keep everything organized I forgot one of my main missions for the day, which was to ferret out the true identity of Squirrel. But it occurred to me that one conversation I had might have been the clue: was that you I talked to over by the Trade-a-Plane exhibit in the museum?

Hi, This was a good first x -country for Barbara, not too long ,not to short, just right. She has informed me just how long it took to fly the Mooney there and back. I didn't think she was paying that much attention. However, she had also pulled the driving instructions and informed me that it would have been ten hours of driving round trip. I think she may have the appreciation of Mooney speed now. Before the trip today she told me she was a little apprehensive, ( more familiar with the C150). She asked what if something happened to me during a flight. I said,"Barbara , you could land the Mooney, no problem". To which she responded, " Bob, you can't land the Mooney , what makes you think I can "? I thought I had a pretty good handle on Mooney touch downs, until that! Anyway, I reminded her if she felt that way that she needed to cut back on the Oleander in my morning coffee! Like I didn't know! We enjoyed the day and meeting all you nice folks, until we meet again, Sleepingsquirrel

I am a Chuck Norris Pilot joke. I just need a little more time on that "as seen on TV" exercise machine he hawks.

No,No,no, Did you see her sister?

Before I fly all the way to AK ( which is further than Arkansas,AR,AK ,my mistake ) , do you mean you can get me a tailwheel installed on my Mooney? Im not kidding because I'm sure that extraordinary pilots require extraordinary A&Ps who can do anything. If my Mooney just had a tailwheel , I could convince myself that I was flying an affordable P51 Mustang. If you could get me a tailwheel on My Mooney why can't you get them to put it on floats, I bet an amphib Mooney would be worth its' weight in gold in Alaska. It would still be faster than a Cessna with those tundra tires. Would any of these mods become illegal upon returning to the lower 48? If you mean that you could arrange a taillwheel endorsement , I would fly there if you could just have the Tweto girls fawn over me like they do the young ,bold pilots? What should I bring for the potlatch? I know to bring duct tape for the A&Ps.

From what I've been reading about Mooney CFIs ,you have probably exceeded all their experience if you have made one take off and landing with an approach speed below 90 kts. You do really need one for instruction in describing all the things you can't do in a Mooney , like , fit in one. You can't land one without a 6000 foot runway. You can't stall one because it will enter a spin which is unrecoverable. You can't do touch and goes in a Mooney except maybe on 12,000 foot runway. I'd bet money that a good Mooney instructor flies a Mooney as his personal choice in airplanes. Yep, that would be my signal.

Ok, Is a whole airplane or two considered an aviation part? Or is a whole airplane or two considered aviation PARTS ? Did you make up those words near the voting dots? Hell, no wonder the guy couldn't understand what you were selling and the conditions under which the sale was taking place! You have to be more specific!

Hey, I saw your steps and recognized it was you , I thought about buying one of them because my M20 B doesn't have a step. The linemen are getting testy about rolling the boarding/deplaneing ladder for me you know. I can tell you now that if I got one of those steps for $0.99 and couldn't find structure to mount it on. I would want my money and shipping , and pain and suffering as well. Since your step wouldn't fit my airplane I would want you personally to roll out the boarding/deplaneing ladder in lieu of 6 weeks community service. I'm so damned angry now you should have to piggy back that S.O.B. to his plane until he gets what he deserves! He would look funny with, with a Mooney step for a kick stand sticking out of his wazoo. Really , maybe he was expecting it to be attached to a real Mooney when delivered. How do you know that is NOT what he expected? No , I've never had a problem buying anything on E-Bay. I just learned to hit "buy it now" , which means it belongs to me.

Saturday is still looking VFR for Southern Mississippi Valley and Mid Atlantic region. Weather will probably begin to worsen on Sunday. So I'm not planning to spend the night in Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinberg. Been there once, bought the T shirt, didn't leave anything to go back for. I really liked the Smokey Mountian Knife factory. We did take a helicopter ride through the Mountians which we enjoyed. Didn't know about the aviation museum,and looking forward to meeting you folks.

I am conflicted and afflicted by the need to go slow and fast. I saved enough by drifting around in the wind at 6 to get my Mooney to travel at 160. Can't do both at the same time. I can't believe I wasn't qualified for a medical on grounds of mental defect. Slow .....Fast......Slow......Fast.......Slow......Fast........Slow.......Fast........; like Jack Nicholson in " The Shining" my wife thinks I'm writing a book; Slow.....Fast......Slow ......Fast........Slow........Fast.....................................................................